Texas factory activity increased again in July, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose 11 points to 22.8, indicating output grew at a faster pace than ...

After declining for three straight months, pending home sales reversed course in June as all major regions, except for the Midwest, saw an increase in contract activity, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index*, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, climbed 1.5 percent to 110.2 in June from an upwardly revised 108.6 in May. At 0.5 percent, the index last month increased annually for the first time since March. ...

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer fell to 58.9 in July from 65.7 in June, the lowest level in three months.

While marking the seventeenth above-50 reading, July’s fall snapped a run of five straight monthly increases in business optimism. Each of the five Barometer components receded from last month but remained above their respective 12-month averages. This, therefore, points ...

Consumer sentiment continued to slowly fall in the July survey, although the overall level still remains quite favorable, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

The small decline amounted to 5.1 Index-points below the January peak, which was the highest figure in a dozen years, said economist Richard Curtin, director of the surveys. The decline was tempered by the most favorable evaluations of consumers' current finances in a ...

Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the second quarter of 2017 (table 1), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 1.2 percent (revised).

The Bureau emphasized that the second-quarter advance estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (see “Source Data for the Advance Estimate” on page 3). The "second" estimate for the second ...

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in June 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.5 percent, and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of ...

The month-over-month composite index was 10 in July, down slightly from 11 in June but up from 8 in May. The composite index is an average of the production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes. Factory activity increased ...

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in June increased $14.9 billion or 6.5 percent to $245.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, followed a 0.1 percent May decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.2 percent. Excluding defense, new ...

The CFNAI Diffusion Index, which is also a three-month moving average, increased to +0.01 in June from –0.08 in May. Forty of the 85 individual indicators made positive contributions to the CFNAI in June, while 45 made negative contributions. Fifty-six indicators improved from May to June, while 28 indicators deteriorated and one was unchanged. ...

In the week ending July 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 244,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 233,000 to 234,000. The 4-week moving average was 244,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised average. The previous ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June indicates that the labor market has continued to strengthen and that economic activity has been rising moderately so far this year. Job gains have been solid, on average, since the beginning of the year, and the unemployment rate has declined. Household spending and ...

Sales of new single-family houses in June 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 0.8 percent (±12.1 percent)* above the revised May rate of 605,000 and is 9.1 percent (±14.4 percent)* above ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined marginally in June (a downward revision), improved in July. The Index now stands at 121.1 (1985=100), up from 117.3 in June. The Present Situation Index increased from 143.9 to 147.8, while the Expectations Index rose from 99.6 last month ...

Reports from Fifth District manufacturers improved some in July, according to the latest survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The composite index rose from 11 in June to 14 in July — the result of a slight increase in the measures of new orders and employment. The index for shipments remained at its June reading of 13. A larger share ...

S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for May 2017 shows that home prices continued their rise across the country over the last 12 months.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 5.6% annual gain in May, the same as the prior month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 4.9%, down from 5.0% the previous ...

Respondents to the July Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey reported that business activity continued to grow but at a slower pace. The indexes for firm-level general activity and sales/revenues remained positive but fell, suggesting a slowdown in growth this month. The new orders index fell to near zero. Expectations for growth over the ...

Existing-home sales slipped in June as low supply kept homes selling at a near record pace but ultimately ended up muting overall activity, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Only the Midwest saw an increase in sales last month.

Total existing-home sales which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, decreased 1.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.52 million in June from 5.62 million in May. Despite last month's decline, June's ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI)for theU.S. increased 0.6 percent in June to 127.8 (2010 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in May, and a 0.2 percent increase in April.

“The U.S. LEI rose sharply in June, pointing to continued growth in the U.S. economy and perhaps even a moderate improvement in GDP growth in the second half of the year,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “The ...

In the week ending July 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 233,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 247,000 to 248,000. The 4-week moving average was 243,750, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

Manufacturing activity in the region continues to grow but at a slower pace, according to results from the July Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey. The diffusion indexes for general activity, new orders, shipments, employment, and work hours remained positive but fell from their readings in June. Respondents also reported a moderation of ...

Building Permits
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,254,000. This is 7.4 percent (±1.1 percent) above the revised May rate of 1,168,000 and is 5.1 percent (±1.4 percent) above the June 2016 rate of 1,193,000. Single-family authorizations in June were at a rate ...

Mortgage applications increased 6.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 14, 2017. Last week's results included an adjustment for the Fourth of ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for May 2017. The sum total in May of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC inflow of $57.3 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows were $87.2 billion, and ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes slipped two points in July to a level of 64 from a downwardly revised June reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). It is the lowest reading since ...

U.S. import prices declined 0.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after a 0.1-percent decrease in May. Lower fuel prices drove the drop in June, which more than offset higher nonfuel prices. The price index for U.S. exports fell 0.2 percent in June following a 0.5-percent decline ...

Business activity grew modestly in New York State, according to firms responding to the July 2017 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index fell ten points to 9.8. The new orders index moved down to 13.3, and the shipments index fell to 10.5, suggesting that orders and shipments continued to grow, though ...

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for May, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,350.2 billion, down 0.2 percent (±0.2 percent)* from April 2017, but was up 5.1 percent (±0.4 percent) from ...

Confidence in future economic prospects continued to slide in early July, with the Expectations Index now 10.1 Index points below its January 2017 peak. In contrast, consumers' assessments of current economic conditions regained the March 2017 peak, the highest level since the July 2005 survey. Overall, the recent data follow the same ...

Industrial production rose 0.4 percent in June for its fifth consecutive monthly increase. Manufacturing output moved up 0.2 percent; although factory output has gone up and down in recent months, its level in June was little different from February. The index for mining posted a gain of 1.6 percent in June, just slightly below its pace in ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 1.6 percent.

The energy index declined again in June, falling 1.6 percent; this offset an increase in the index for all items less food and energy. All the major energy component indexes declined, with the gasoline index falling 2.8 percent. The food index was unchanged in June, with ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.2 percent from May to June, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from a 0.2-percent increase in average hourly earnings combined with no change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for June 2017, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $473.5 billion, a decrease of 0.2 percent (± 0.5 percent) from the previous month, and 2.8 percent (± 0.9 percent) above June 2016. Total sales for the April 2017 ...

In the week ending July 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 247,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 248,000 to 250,000. The 4-week moving average was 245,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.1 percent in June, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices were unchanged in May and rose 0.5 percent in April. On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index advanced 2.0 percent for the 12 months ended ...

Economic activity expanded across all twelve Federal Reserve Districts in June, with the pace of growth ranging from slight to moderate. In addition, the majority of Districts expected modest to moderate gains in the months ahead. Consumer spending appears to be rising across a majority of Districts, led by increases in nonauto retail sales ...

Mortgage applications decreased 7.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 7, 2017. This week's results include an adjustment for the Fourth of July holiday.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 7.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 26 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 13 ...

The number of job openings decreased to 5.7 million on the last business day of May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires increased to 5.5 million and separations increased to 5.3 million. Within separations, the quits rate was little changed at 2.2 percent and the layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged ...

May 2017 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $460.8 billion, down 0.5 percent (±0.7 percent)* from the revised April level, but were up 6.2 percent (±1.1 percent) from the May 2016 level. The March ...

The Index of Small Business Optimism fell 0.9 points to 103.6, but sustained the surge in optimism that started the day after the election. The Index peaked at 105.9 in January and has dropped 2.3 points to date, no doubt in part due to the mess in Washington, D.C. Four of the 10 Index components posted a gain, five declined, and one ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) decreased in June, following an increase in May. The index now stands at 133.07, down slightly from 133.32 (a downward revision) in May. The change represents a 4.6 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.

“Despite the June decline in the Employment Trends Index, job growth will remain strong in the coming months. The decline is small and comes after a series of large increases since early 2017,” said Gad Levanon, Chief Economist, North America, at The Conference Board. ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 222,000 in June, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in health care, social assistance, financial activities, and mining.

Household Survey Data
In June, the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.0 million, were little changed. Since January, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed are down by 0.4 percentage point and 658,000, respectively. ...

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in June for the 90th consecutive month, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.

The NMI® registered 57.4 percent, which is 0.5 percentage point higher than the May reading of 56.9 percent. This represents continued growth in the non-manufacturing sector at a slightly faster rate. The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index increased to 60.8 percent, ...

In the week ending July 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 248,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 244,000. The 4-week moving average was 243,000, an increase of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average ...

The Nation's international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $46.5 billion in May from $47.6 billion in April (revised), as exports increased and imports decreased.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that the goods and services deficit was $46.5 billion in May, down $1.1 billion from $47.6 billion in April, revised. May exports were $192.0 billion, $0.9 ...

Private sector employment increased by 158,000 jobs from May to June according to the June ADP National Employment Report®.

“Despite a slight moderation in the month of June, the labor market remains strong,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute. “For the month of June, jobs were primarily created in the service-providing sector.” ...

Employers announced plans to cut payrolls by 31,105 jobs in June, the lowest monthly total of the year according to a report released Thursday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The June job-cut total is 6 percent lower than the 33,092 cuts recorded in May*, and 19.3 percent lower than the same month last year, when 38,536 cuts were recorded. ...

New orders for manufactured goods in May, down two consecutive months, decreased $3.7 billion or 0.8 percent to $464.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.3 percent April decrease. Shipments, up five of the last six months, increased $0.6 billion or 0.1 percent to $471.5 billion. This followed a virtually ...